Former Prime Minister of Albania Sali Berisha and his son-in-law Jamarber Maltezzi are embroiled in corruption scandals. Berisha is charged with money laundering and corruption in a scheme involving Maltezzi taking advantage of his father-in-law’s position in the federal government.
Several years ago, Maltezzi privatized land in Tirana, sold the land back to the owners, then had the owners sell the land back to him again at a cheaper price—so that he could build apartments and make a good deal of profit. Interior Minister Taulant Balla was the first to hold the two accountable, accusing them of the crimes.
As of recently, Maltezzi has been arrested in Tirana and Berisha is currently in the process of being charged with money laundering and corruption. The former Prime Minister is currently barred from entering the United States, and he is not allowed to leave Albania. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has also commented on the matter, stating “Berisha’s corrupt acts undermined democracy in Albania”.
These incidents are emblematic of the political challenges faced by Albanian citizens. Non-profit research organization Freedom House rates Albania’s level of democracy as 46/100. Albania is considered a transitional/hybrid regime. Albania is also considered the most corrupt country in the Western Balkans.. Hybrid regimes (also known as transitional regimes) are usually plagued by corruption and a restrictive media environment. This can lead to a poor relationship with freedom of speech and expression, further pushing the country away from a fair and free democracy. This is exactly what’s happening in Albania today.
What we’re seeing with Albania is a theme of democratic erosion, also known as democratic backsliding. When there is democratic backsliding in a society, there is a regressing of rights and respect for the general public– with an emphasis on civil societies and free media. Professor Nancy Bermeo states in ‘On Democratic Backsliding’. that democratic erosion happens in increments, rather than all at once. An authoritarian or populist ruler slowly undermines institutions.
Hybrid regimes are known for undermining free speech. The European Centre for Press and Media has concluded that freedom of speech is progressively deteriorating for media outlets and there is less support for civil societies than ever. The Albanian Ministry of Justice has introduced new legislation that can give public institutions the right to deny requests for information, labeling them ‘abusive requests’. There has yet to be an explanation or definition to what an ‘abusive request’ is, but the Ministry of Justice has stated that in the case of “Requests for information that are clearly abusive, the public authority may decide to terminate the administrative procedure without a final decision”. Something similar was also instilled in Russia in 2013, the ‘Foreign Agents law’. Russian government agencies adopted laws that made nongovernmental agencies have to file as ‘foreign agents’ when requesting government information. This action taken by Russian authorities has restricted media freedoms and advocacy for a plethora of issues.The theme of authoritarians learning from each other is discussed by Stephen Hall in his recent book, The Authoritarian International. He argues that dictators share methods and tactics to eliminate free speech from their regimes and take total control over the state.
This can be specifically linked back to a type of democratic erosion known as executive aggrandizements. Executive aggrandizements as argued by Professor Nancy Bermeo, can be anything that weakens checks on the executive branch, giving even more power to that branch of the government.Though Albania is in a generally poor position in terms of democracy, the country’s corruption score on Freedom House has increased from 2.75 in 2022 to 3.00 in the past year. A majority of Albania’s politicians seem to have no commitment to a liberal democracy and believe that ruling for the people instead of by the people is the ultimate way of governing. It’s obviously not working, because since the 1990’s, Albanians have been leaving their country in massive waves. As long as elite corruption is left unchecked, Albania’s democracy will continue to struggle.
Works Cited
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US secretary of State bans former president berisha and his family from entering US – exit – explaining Albania (2021) Exit. Available at: https://exit.al/en/us-secretary-of-state-bans-former-president-berisha-and-his-family-from-entering-us/ (Accessed: 31 October 2023).
“Explore the Map.” Freedom House, freedomhouse.org/explore-the-map?type=nit&year=2023&country=ALB. Accessed 31 Oct. 2023.
“Hybrid Regime.” ECPS, 27 Dec. 2020, www.populismstudies.org/Vocabulary/hybrid-regime/.
Taylor, Alice. “Albania Has Highest Rates of Administrative Corruption in Region.” Www.Euractiv.Com, 9 Dec. 2022, www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/albania-has-highest-rates-of-administrative-corruption-in-region/.
Bermeo, Nancy. “On Democratic Backsliding.” Journal of Democracy, Johns Hopkins University Press, 27 Jan. 2016, muse.jhu.edu/article/607612.
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Hi Hope,
Your article was very interesting to read. I am very interested in the events happening in Albania because it is my home country, and I appreciate the fact that you took the time to talk about the issues that the country is facing. Since communism fell in Albania, Sali Berisha and his family have had a tight grip on Albanian politics, and they have taken advantage of the system for their gain. One very important thing that you mentioned in your article is the press release by Antony Blinken, where it was officially declared that he and his family were barred from entering the United States because of the blatant corruption he and his family have participated in. Thank you for talking about the issue.
Hi Hope
I read through your blog and it seems interesting how you have analyzed the situations and also how everything you’ve mentioned is so accurate with recent events happening in Albania these days. Another important point is how you mentioned that the former prime minister was banned from entering the United States, and also not allowed to leave Albania. This once more is a sign that the international community recognizes the Albanian judiciary and supports its cause. Also pulling up the report from Freedom House clarifies the view of the reader and makes him more knowledgeable of what is happening out there and how this is affecting. Being one of the most corrupt countries in the Western Balkans, this also explains all the arrests and convictions happening, towards all ex-officials and political heads. On the other side, having an authoritarian ruler such as the one ruling right now Albania can affect and damage all these democratic steps Albania has been trying to progress. Especially free speech, and as mentioned by you even this has been undermined, directly and indirectly. In this case, as you mentioned the Albanian Ministry of Justice introducing new legislation that can give public institutions the right to deny requests for information, selecting that as abusive or not.